https://arab.news/4ncnr
- Paul Kapur says will continue to promote 鈥渓ongstanding US security interests with India and Pakistan鈥�
- Kapur is professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School, visiting faculty member at Hoover Institution
ISLAMABAD: Paul Kapur, President Donald Trump鈥檚 nominee to be assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs, said this week he would pursue security cooperation with Pakistan 鈥渨here beneficial to US interests.鈥�
Kapur was speaking during a confirmation hearing before the US Senate on Tuesday.
鈥淥n Pakistan, if confirmed, I will pursue security cooperation where beneficial to US interests, while seeking opportunities for bilateral collaboration in trade and investment,鈥� Kapur said in his testimony.
鈥淪outh Asia recently avoided a costly conflict, with the [US] Vice President and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio intensely engaged on the issue. If confirmed, I will continue to promote longstanding US security interests with India and Pakistan through the pursuit of peace and stability, and the fight against terrorism.鈥�
Kapur is, as of 2025, a professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School. He is a visiting faculty member at the Hoover Institution and has taught at Claremont McKenna College. He was also a visiting professor at Stanford University.
In 2025, Kapur was nominated as the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs by the second Trump administration, succeeding Donald Lu.
Pakistani observers are carefully watching Kapur鈥檚 appointment as he wrote in his book 鈥楯ihad as Grand Strategy鈥� that jihad was a major part of Pakistan鈥檚 grand strategy, and not just a 鈥減olitical instrument鈥� it used. He has claimed that the utilization of jihad by Pakistan is an intentional government strategy.